What Should You Do If You Discover That One Of Your Adult Teeth Is Loose?

Loose teeth might be normal for a child, but can be a cause for concern for an adult. If one of your adult teeth feels loose, you might notice that it’s possible to wiggle it. You may also find a loose tooth by touching it while engaging in normal activities such as eating or drinking.

What Could Cause an Adult Tooth to Become Loose?

Adult teeth can become loose due to several different factors, which include but are not limited to:

– Injury/Trauma: Your adult teeth can become loose if an injury to your mouth causes damage to the root of the tooth as well as the surrounding gums.

– Teeth Grinding (Bruxism): Clenching or grinding puts pressure on your teeth, which makes them loose over time.

– Gum Disease (Periodontitis): It’s a severe gum infection that causes gum recession. If left untreated, periodontitis can cause loose teeth.

– Pregnancy: The hormonal imbalances experienced during pregnancy may affect the bones and ligaments in the mouth that hold teeth causing them to loosen.

– Osteoporosis (Weakening of Bones): If you have osteoporosis, your jawbone may lose its density causing teeth to become loose.

– Diabetes: If your diabetes isn’t under control, it can aggravate your gum disease, which in turn can cause loosening of teeth.

– Medication: Calcium is necessary for strong and healthy bones and teeth, but certain medications can make it difficult for the body to absorb it. Prolonged intake of such medication can weaken and loosen your teeth.

What Can You Do While Waiting to See the Dentist?

If your tooth is very loose, fractured, chipped, knocked-out, or almost falling out, you have a dental emergency and you should see your dentist within the shortest time possible. To save your tooth, it needs to be out back in its socket within no more than 2 hours.

In the meantime, you should do the following:

Avoid touching the root when picking the tooth up
Rinse the tooth in a bowl of lukewarm water
Replace the tooth in its socket facing the right way
Press down on the tooth with your thumb until the crown is level with the adjacent tooth
Bite down on a wad of cloth to stabilize the tooth until you’re seen by the dentist.

If you have a loose adult tooth, don’t panic. You can increase the odds of avoiding tooth loss or any further complications by seeking treatment immediately. Contact or schedule an appointment with a dentist if you think that you have a loose adult tooth and your smile will thank you.

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How Does A Dentist Treat A Knocked-Out Tooth?

Accidents and injuries can knock out a tooth, but if this ever happens to you, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s lost forever. Quick action can help save your tooth so that it can be successfully replanted and last for years. You can first reinsert the tooth yourself or save it in liquid. You should then seek help from a dentist for further treatment.

How Do Dentists Treat a Knocked-Out Tooth?

It can be simple to put a knocked-out tooth back in place sometimes. However, it can sometimes be complicated, such as in situations where the tooth is broken.

If you have a broken tooth, the dentist will flush debris from its socket using water. Next, they will slot the knocked-out tooth back into place. Re-implantation of the tooth should be done as soon as possible. Ideally, it should be done within an hour of the tooth being knocked out.

The dentist will either perform the root canal immediately or wait to do it later. The best course of action depends on several different factors. The dentist will then splint the knocked-out tooth to the teeth on either side using a soft wire and/or composite material. This is used to hold the tooth in place for a few days. It’s up to the dentist to decide how long the splint should remain.

If the bone around the tooth wasn’t fractured, the root will likely reattach firmly to the bone in about 3 to 4 weeks. If there was more damage to the area, however, 6 to 8 weeks of repair time may be required.

The dentist should examine the reattached tooth again in 3 to 6 months. Unless there are signs of infection, the next visit will occur at your annual checkup. Your dentist will then check periodically over the next few years to ensure successful re-implantation.

Have a Knocked-Out Tooth? See a Dentist Immediately!

The best way to avoid having to deal with a knocked-out tooth is to ensure that you practice proper oral hygiene, keep your teeth and gums clean and healthy, wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle and a seat belt when riding in a vehicle, wear mouth guards during sports, and practice fall prevention methods.

If you do all the above but still end up with a knocked-out tooth, put it in a liquid (preferably milk) and go see a dentist immediately. Your quick actions after having your tooth knocked out could mean the difference between losing it permanently and having your beautiful smile for many more years.

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Trauma and Accidents Can Lead to Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies are often caused by trauma and accidents. Injury to your face or mouth area can be caused when you are playing contact sports or if you are involved in a car accident. Or, your face can hit the floor if you slipped and fell. As a result, your tooth can be broken, knocked loose or completely knocked out. At times like these, it is important to seek emergency dental care right away.

We always have special appointments set aside in our Baltimore dental office for patients who need to be seen right away due to an emergency. If your tooth is knocked out, there is a window of time where it is still possible to save your tooth and replant it back into the socket. It is crucial that you see us as soon as possible. If you wait too long before you see us, you may miss that opportunity in saving your tooth.

There are certain immediate procedures that you should follow in preserving your tooth as you are making your way to our clinic.

When your tooth is knocked out, there are gum tissue and roots that are still attached to the tooth. You want to preserve these tissues which are important in replanting your tooth back into your mouth. Pick up your tooth by the crown, not by the roots. Rinse the tooth gently with water to remove any dirt on it, making sure that the gum tissue and roots are not washed off. If possible, put the tooth back into the socket and try to keep it in place as you head to our dental clinic. If your tooth cannot stay in place, put it in some milk or in some saliva in a cup. Control your bleeding and put a cold compress on your face to control the swelling.

If your tooth is knocked out of position but is still attached to its socket, try to gently move your tooth back into position and call us immediately for an emergency appointment.

You only have one set of natural adult teeth. With proper care, your teeth should last you a lifetime. Therefore, if you ever sustain an injury to your teeth due to an accident or trauma, call us right away to make an emergency dental appointment. Every minute counts in saving your tooth. Follow the steps described above and see us right away. We will use every effort in saving your tooth and restoring your beautiful smile.